People seem to be missing out on a lot of information about us while simultaneously “borrowing” our culture. But that’s none of our business ...

Millennials, those born between 1980 and 1999, are arguably the most misunderstood and the most multidimensional generation. Often derided as lazy, technology crazed and just downright not as successful as our elders, members of Generation Y hardly ever hear good news about ourselves. And of course, black millennials, who have made leaps in education and politics, and have set trends from social media to music, often get the worst of the criticism. But guess what? Young black people in the most talked-about generation don’t need your approval. We’re doing just fine.

1. Our revolution will be televised—and more:

Whether it’s working with the Dream Defenders or advocating for Title IX protections, this generation has shown that it will use traditional civil rights strategies and harness all of the modern tools available to it to make change through social activism.

2. We’re making educational leaps:

The graduation rates for this entire generation are higher than those of the ones that preceded it. Roughly 58 percent of millennials overall will receive a bachelor’s degree, and black millennials are underdiscussed standouts in this group: Those attending certain top, predominantly white colleges have higher graduation rates than their white peers.

3. We run social media:

Name a social media platform and there’s no doubt that black Gen Yers were the ones to give it the “cool factor.” Roughly 40 percent of black millennials use Twitter, compared with 28 percent of their white peers. Without black millennials, black Twitter wouldn’t exist.